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The Fire Safety (England) Regulations 2022: Fire door requirements from 23 January 2023

The Fire Safety (England) Regulations 2022 have new requirements coming into effect in January 2023 that responsible persons for multi-occupied residential buildings should know.  

Updated Fire Door Regulations for Multi-Occupied Residential Buildings 

 As stated in the fact sheet recently published by the government, from 23 January 2023 responsible persons for all multi-occupied residential buildings in England with storeys over 11 metres in height will be required to: 

  • undertake quarterly checks of all fire doors (including self-closing devices) in the common parts 
  • undertake – on a best endeavour basis – annual checks of all flat entrance doors (including self-closing devices) that lead onto a building’s common parts. 

What does “best endeavour basis” mean? 

When carrying out an annual check on the flat entrance doors, the responsible person will need to gain access to each flat. 

This can be difficult if residents do not cooperate. It is therefore important that the responsible person will work with residents to agree on a date for the inspection. 

If the responsible person were denied access, they must provide documentation of the efforts undertaken to carry out this requirement. An example would be correspondence from the responsible person to the resident seeking permission to access their flat. 

Additional Requirement to Provide Information to Residents 

Aside from the requirements on quarterly checks of fire doors in common areas and annual checks on flat entrance doors that lead to a building’s common parts, the responsible persons are also required to provide residents information on the importance of fire doors to the building’s fire safety. 

Key points to be included in the information provided to residents are: 

  • the importance of keeping fire doors closed at all times 
  • that fire doors (including self-closing devices) are not tampered with 
  • that any faults or damage (whether they were deliberate or from wear and tear) should be raised right away 

Residents are to be provided with this information when they move in, and then again once a year. 

Do the new regulations affect buildings below 11 metres?  

For residential buildings below 11 metres in height, responsible persons still have a duty to put in place general fire precautions. This includes ensuring that all fire doors in the building are up to standard and can provide adequate protection. As stated in the Fire Safety Act 2021, any residential building with at least two sets of domestic premises is within the scope of the Fire Safety Order, regardless of the building’s height. In these residential buildings, responsible persons are also required to provide residents with relevant information on fire doors. 

Building owners and responsible persons need to ensure they are compliant with the new regulations by 23 January 2023. 

Fire Consultancy Specialists can provide Basic Inspection Training for the Responsible person to check fire doors as per the requirement.

Fire Consultancy Specialists are UKAS 3rd Party Accredited to complete Fire Door Inspections under the BlueSky Certification Scheme and proud members of the AFDI. 

If you want to find out more about our fire door surveys you can find more information here  or you can contact us directly.